Playground apparatus



Sept. 24, 1929. Y D w, wHlTMAN 1,729,529

" PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Filed Jul 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WWW llflorney Sept 24, 1929. D. w. WHITMAN PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Filed July 6, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 24, 1929 DANIEL WINTON WHITMAN, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Application filed July 6, 1927. Serial No. 203,712.

This invention relates to playground apparatus of the swing type designed particularly for use in community or school playgrounds and designed to receive and be operated by a plurality of children.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a swing that will accommodate a plurality of children each provided with an individual seat and a hand and foot hold to assist in the propulsion of the swing, which swing is inexpensive to build and in which the safety of the children is assured.

A further object of the invention is to provide an elongated oscillatable member arranged to swing in substantially vertical planes or in a direction endwise of said member, and in which the supporting pivots are spaced above said member to avoid the formation of a sharp angle between the member and its vertically extending supports as the member swings, and to thus avoid injury to the occupants of the swing resulting from being pinched in said angle.

Further objects of the invention will appear as a description of the invention proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a modification.

Fig. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale of the seats employed in Fig. 2.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, an open ended supporting frame, consisting of a top bar 1 and diverging supporting legs 5, serves to support the improved apparatus. Preferably, but not necessarily, members 41 and 5 are made of tubular form. Brackets 6 sleeved on bar 1 and having sockets to receive the legs 5 may be used to secure the legs and top bar together. As shown in Fig. 1, the brackets 6 are secured to.the bar 4 between the ends thereof. Suitable struts 7 arranged between brackets 8 on bar 1 and brackets 9 on legs 5 serve to rigidly secure legs and bar together to form a substantially rigid supporting frame.

A horizontally extending member 10 provided with suitable parallel upward extensions 11, and suitable downwardly projecting plates 12 is supported on inherently rigid supporting links 13. Each link 13 is pivoted to extensions 11 at one end, as shown at 1 1, and to top bar a at the other end as shown at 15. Preferably, the links 13 are three in number and extend parallel to each other but more or fewer links may be used depending upon the size of the apparatus.

Handholds, preferably in the form of triangular frames 16 may be secured in suitable manner to each link 13, and suitable footholds 17, preferably parallel rods, are attached to plates 12.

In operation of this form of the invention, the occupants of the apparatus straddle the member 10 facing one edge of a link 13. To operate the swing the occupant grasps the handhold 16 and places his or her feet on the foothold 17. By exerting pressure, either by hand or foot toward the ends of the frame the member 10 will be caused to oscillate. The arrangement just described provides room for six. The occupants adjacent each member 13 face each other and, preferably, the occupants propel the swing alternately, those facing in the same direction exerting effort to move it in one direction and those facing in the opposite direction movin it in the other direction. The upright extensions 11 bring the pivotal points well above the plane of the member 10 so that no sharp angles are formed,-as said member oscillates. In this way injury to the occupants by being pinched in such angles is avoided.

In Fig. 2, a construction is shown providing room for twenty-four children. In this form a supporting framework consisting of members 18, 19 and 20 and transverse members 21, 22 and 23 suitably connected to gether, is supported spaced above the ground by intermediate legs 2 1 and corner diverging legs 25 to give stability to the framework. Pivotally secured to the members 18, 19 and 20 in any suitable way are inherently rigid links 26. The other end of each of said links is pivotally attached, as shown at 27, to

a unitary structure 28, shown best in Fig. 3.

Preferably, structure 28 is made of metal, and consists of three cars 29, 30 and 31 rigidly secured together to move as a unit. Each of said cars has seats 32 and 33 facing each other and an upright extension 34: to the end of which link 26 is pivotally attached. The base of said extension and the connection between seat 33 and said base provide a structure against which the feet of the occupant of the swing may rest during the operation thereof, and hand holds 35 are secured to links 26. Preferably, said hand holds comprise parallel rods so that each oceupantof a seat may be provided with a hand hold.

The form just described operates in the same way as that shown in Fig. 1. It will be observed that the pivotal connections between the structure 28 and the links 26 is so located as to avoid the formation of sharp angles between said structure and said links as the apparatus operates. At the same time this arrangement gives the occupants of the seats adequate leverage with respect to the points of oscillation, so that the swing may be propelled without an unnecessary expenditure of energy.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A play ground apparatus comprising an Open ended frame, a supporting structure for the occupants of the apparatus consisting of an elongated structure provided with a plurality of pairs of seats and upward extensions of substantial length between the seats of each pair and rigidly secured to said structure, and a plurality of links arranged to be grasped by the occupants of said seats, each pivoted to said frame at one end adjacent said seats and to the end of an extension at its other end, whereby said structure is suspended for free swinging movement endwise of said frame from points spaced substantially above said seats.

2. A play ground apparatus comprising an open ended frame, a supporting structure for the occupants of the apparatus consisting of an elongated structure provided with a plurality of pairs of seats and upward extensions of substantial length rigidly secured to said structure between the seats of each pair, hand holds, foot holds secured to said structure between each pair of said seats, and a plurality of links carrying hand holds, each pivoted to said frame at one end and to the end of an extension at its other end, whereby said structure is suspended for free swinging movement endwise of said frame from points spaced substantially above said seats.

3. A play ground apparatus comprising an open ended frame, a support for the occupants of the apparatus comprising an elongated horizontally extending member provided with spaced upright extensions of substantial length, means rigidly secured to said elongated member provided with foot holds disposed substantially vertically below said extension, and a plurality of links for supporting said structure from said frame for free swinging movement endwise thereof, each of said links being pivoted to said frame at one end and being connected at its opposite end adjacent the extremity of one of said extensions.

4. A playground apparatus comprising a horizontally arranged support, a plurality of pairs of divergent legs secured to said support, a supporting structure for the occupants of the apparatus consisting of an elongated horizontally disposed member arranged beneath said support and provided with a plurality of rigid upward extensions of substantial length secured thereto, rigid links, each secured at one end to one of said upwaro extensions and at its other end to said horizontally arranged support, so that said supporting structure may swing endwise through said divergent legs, and means carried by said links and said elongated member, whereby the apparatus may be operated by occupants thereof seated on said elongated member adj acent said upward extensions.

In testimony whereof I hereby allix my signature.

DANIEL l/VINTON WHITMAN. 

